June 2000

EIFAC/XXI/2000/Inf.10


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FAO

EUROPEAN INLAND FISHERIES ADVISORY COMMISSION

TWENTY-FIRST SESSION

Budapest, Hungary, 1-7 June 2000

OPENING ADDRESSES

Address by
Dr. Imre Mucsi
Deputy State Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Hungarian Government I want to welcome all of you to the Twenty-first Session of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission and to the related Symposium on Fisheries and Society. We are very glad that you have decided to have this important event in Hungary when we are celebrating the millenium of the Hungarian State.

For people living under the changing hydrogeographical conditions of the Carpatian basin it was absolutely indispensable to know the waters - especially the rivers - and to utilize them. This resulted in very rich fishery traditions, use of very wide range of fishing gears and as a consequence - the ability of regeneration. When by the end of the nineteenth century - following the improvement of riverways - the natural fish production capacity of our rivers declined, the traditional fishery was not able to ensure source of livelihood for so many people as in the previous centuries. At the same time the role of fish as easily available food for local population also decreased.

Solution for this problem was offered by the regeneration of fisheries by the development of pond farming. Construction of still water pond farms in Hungary started in the last decades of the nineteenth century. The present total productive area of such ponds in Hungary is about twenty two thousand hectares, which is a very high value in comparison with other European countries. I would like to add to this data that the present agricultural policy considers pond construction and reconstruction a priority area and ensures state aid for these activities. We are convinced that construction of fish ponds is a very effective and perspective way to utilize land area less suitable for other agricultural purposes. It is a perspective solution as we expect a considerable increase in demand for fish and fishery products as a result of enrichment of the population and due to changing mode of living. It is one of the objectives of our agricultural policy to meet the demand for fish as far as possible from domestic production.

In the supply of Hungarian market our traditional natural water fisheries play only a minor role in comparison with the carp produced in pond farms or with the marine fish products originating from imports. Fish caught from natural waters ensure a wider variety of goods and meet special demands of the gastronomy. Nevertheless, we are very proud of the fact that the traditional natural water fisheries still exist in Hungary in spite of unfavourable conditions in some periods of the past.

In our days - like in other developed industrial societies - recreational activities as angling and sportfishing have the priority in utilization of fish stocks. Traditional fisheries carry out restocking programmes and regulatory harvesting of stocks in order to create more favourable conditions for recreational fisheries in which take part yearly three hundred sixty thousand Hungarian citizens as well as thousands of foreign visitors.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Openness was the characteristic feature of the Hungarian fisheries even in times when - because of well known political and economic reasons - it could not be stated in case of other branches of our national economy. This openness was manifested in the fact that part of our fishery products was sold in international markets and also in the participation of Hungarian experts in fisheries and aquaculture development projects in all parts of the world. Due to this openness the process of integration to the European Union in the case of fisheries seems to be less painful than in the agriculture. I would like to acquaint you with the main phases of this process in the fisheries sector.

In 1996 Hungary answered the detailed questionnaires of the EU Commission which contained a special chapter on fisheries. In 1998 the screening of EU and Hungarian fishery legislation - including regulation of fish trade - was carried out. The accession negotiations in fisheries were terminated in the first half of 1999. In May 1999 the fisheries chapter of the negotiations was closed - as the first one of those belonging to the competence of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

International reputation of Hungarian fisheries has been achieved mainly on the basis of scientific background. Institutional fisheries research started in Hungary more than ninety years ago, when the Royal Experimental Station for Fish Physiology and Wastewater Purification was established in 1906. The experimental station was located in Budapest at that time, and after several reorganizations and relocations, as well as changes of the name, the fisheries research station found its final place at Szarvas in 1953. The institute was upgraded in the frame of an FAO/UNDP supported development programme between 1975 and 1980. The Fish Culture Research Institute (its internationally known acronym is HAKI) became an acknowledged research and training centre.

The institute is a governmental organization supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development that provides a core fund of about 40 percent of the total annual budget. Thus the larger part of the budget derives from competitive grants, consultancies, services and training programmes, through the intensive utilization of the wide range of expertise and complex facilities. The main research philosophy of HAKI is to link science to practical application, it means to provide scientific basis for the development of fisheries and fish culture technologies under various conditions from natural waters to intensive fish rearing systems.

In spite of the fact that Eastern European institutions have been rather isolated internationally in the past, HAKI scientists and aquaculturists have been actively involved in international collaborations not only in the field of research but also in aquaculture and fisheries development projects world-wide. HAKI experts assisted numerous aquaculture programmes in developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America.

The other internationally recognized institution of the Hungarian fisheries, the Warm Water Fish Hatchery, the TEHAG located at Százhalombatta has been established by the help of the World Food Programme. Since 1974 this farm has been operated as a pilot farm of the development of fish culture in Hungary and also in countries of the Third World. Especially the training courses organized for fishery experts and consultancies in Latin America ensured good international reputation for this farm.

In the early 1990s when the process of privatization took place in the Hungarian fisheries the government declared that TEHAG - because of its international tasks and strategic role in the Hungarian fisheries - will remain a state property. The farm is supervised - both financially and professionally - by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Its pond area has been increased during the last few years to 500 hectares, and a general reconstruction programme has been started since 1999 financed completely by the government. In the framework of this programme first the hatchery building and the water supply network of the ponds have been reconstructed. Next steps of the programme - in the years 2000 and 2001 - will be the establishment of high-tech processing unit specially for freshwater fish and then the renovation of all pond facilities.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The objective of my lecture was to show that the Hungarian Government gives priority to the development of freshwater fisheries and ensures financial support to this both in the scientific sphare and in the production activities.

I have presented two institutions directly supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, but I have to mention that fisheries research and training activities are actually performed by all agricultural universities of the country. Among institutions belonging to the Hungarain Academy of Sciences especially three institutions contributed to the development of fisheries sciences. These are the Balaton Limnological Research Institute in Tihany, the Hungarian Danube Research Station in Göd and the Institute of Veterinary Sciences located in Budapest.

I hope that this Session and the Symposium will contribute to the maintenance of best fishery traditions in third millenium and also to the even closer cooperation of fishery experts in the conservation and sustainable use of our natural environment, as well as to the development of recreational activities and a more healthy human nutrition. With regard to these objectives, on behalf of the Hungarian Government, I open the EIFAC Session and the related Symposium on Fisheries and Society.

Thank you for your attention.

Address by

Mr. Jaroslav Suchman
Subregional Representative for Central and Eastern Europe
FAO SEUR

It is my pleasure to address the Twenty-first Session of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission on behalf of the Director-General of FAO, Mr. Diouf, as his Representative for Central and Eastern Europe, and Mr. Ichiro Nomura, AGD of the Fisheries Department. Organization of such workshops, like this one is, in my opinion, an important occasion to have the opportunity to cooperate with the Hungarian Government.

I also wish to express my appreciation to the organizers of this seminar for giving me the opportunity to present brief information about the activities of FAO Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe to such a distinguished audience.

The Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEUR) has been established in October 1995. Thanks to the hospitality of the Government of Hungary it is located in Budapest.

Today, the Office is fully staffed and operational including 7 professionals and 7 persons of supporting staff.

The main tasks of the Office are to:

Thus, the Office is serving the role of a sensor, located in the first line of the front with main task to monitor the developments in the Region, transmit to HQ the needs of the Region and identify priority areas for action. The Office, as such, if I may continue using military terminology, should use its limited resources and ammunition within the priority areas, as defined by member countries themselves prior to the establishment of the Subregional Office and which are reflected by the expertise made available to the Subregional Office, which is as follows:

I will highlight only some of the activities which, I assume, are of interest to you:

The major strength of FAO resides in its technical expertise and independence or probably the word "neutrality" will be better in this case. With these two strong points FAO is able � when requested by member governments - to organize a number of technical meetings at global, regional or national level to discuss and provide unbiased advice on important policy and technical issues, often of sensitive nature. FAO, through its neutral and high quality technical meetings, contributed to the elaboration and adoption of a number of international agreements setting quality standards or codes of conduct. However, majority of the meetings like workshops, training courses and seminars or studies are geared to provide neutral forum for the exchange of technical or scientific information, as well as discussion of specific problems and options available for their solution. These are the so called FAO normative activities, which are of interest to all or a large number of member countries.

Another way of assistance to the Member Nations is through specific projects implemented with technical assistance of FAO in a specific country and seeking to help resolve problems of a particular nature or remove constraints with the view to promote the agricultural and rural development in the country.

Since its foundation in 1957, EIFAC has grown from 16 members to 34, and I have the honour to announce that during the last intersessional period Iceland and Latvia did come on board.

In all these years the Commission has performed an important task in drawing the attention of its members to the importance of the sector of inland fisheries and aquaculture in the socio-economic contexts of the countries, an issue which has been taken up by the Symposium attached to this Session.

EIFAC continued to serve as a forum for exchange of information and for ensuring a common approach to inland fisheries throughout Europe. Indeed, for many years of its existence there has been no other body charged with the international aspects of inland fisheries. This has changed during the last 10 years, and with the imminent accession of a number of Central and Eastern European countries to the European Community also the role of EIFAC may change.

The achievements of the Commission are the achievements of its members and the voluntary contributions of scientists from every country have contributed to its work. The Commission�s achievements have been significant, as reflected by the numerous high quality publications either funded by FAO or its member countries. This remains an example for other Commissions to aspire to.

FAO is convinced that EIFAC will continue to play an important role in the management of European inland fisheries, and we will do whatever is possible to facilitate EIFAC�s work also in the future.

I am very glad that so many delegates and experts have been able to come here and I would like to thank you all in advance for the valuable contributions you will no doubt make to this Session and the Symposium attached to it.

Full success to your work.

Thank you for your attention!

KÖSZÖNÖM A FIGYELMÜKET!

Address by the Chairman of EIFAC,
Mr. Christopher Moriarty, Ireland

Imre Mucsi, Deputy State Secretary, distinguished delegates, dear friends and colleagues.

It is my great pleasure to welcome you to the Twenty-first Session of the European Inland Fisheries Advisory Commission and the associated Symposium on Fisheries and Society in this beautiful city of Budapest.

On behalf of all the participants, I would like to ask you, Deputy State Secretary, to convey to your Government our gratitude for your kind invitation to hold the Twenty-first Session here in Hungary and to thank the Fish Culture Research Institute for the excellent arrangements.

This is the second time that Hungary has been the host nation for EIFAC. The Twelfth Session was held here in Budapest and the subject of the Symposium was Stock Enhancement. I have to say that this is my first visit to Hungary - but I was happy to see that both of the Vice-chairs of EIFAC, Károly Pintér and Maria Bninska, took part in that meeting in 1982. On that occasion, the Chairman, Professor K. Tiews, drew particular attention to the achievements of Hungary both in advancing new technologies and in disseminating its experience both around European countries and also to developing countries. It is very good to hear today from the Deputy State Secretary that Hungarian workers continue to take a lead in this respect.

With great regret I have to inform you of the death of our former colleague Jorgen Dahl of the Danish Inland Fisheries Institute. Jorgen represented his country at the First Session of EIFAC, held in Dublin 40 years ago, and until his retirement, was one of the most active members of the Commission, serving finally as a Vice-Chairman.

Looking down the list of participants at the First Session, I see that I am the only person still involved in EIFAC - although I am happy to say that a number of the others are still alive and active in fisheries work.

The best news concerning EIFAC is that we are still growing. Fourteen member countries and one observer were represented in Dublin in 1960. Today we have 33 member nations. What is particularly pleasing about this is that our membership is still growing. Since the last Session, two countries, Iceland and Latvia have joined the Commission and I extend a warm welcome to their delegates. When you ask yourself the question: does EIFAC still have relevance forty years after its foundation, when so much has changed? The fact that membership continues to grow is a very clear indication of the value of the work of the Commission.

EIFAC is a Commission of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. We share with some fisheries sectors of FAO, the professional services of the Secretariat team under the able leadership of Heiner Naeve. Apart from experts occasionally employed as consultants, the work of EIFAC depends entirely on the personal commitment of individuals, all of whom are employed in other capacities within their countries. The member countries make a threefold contribution to the work of the Commission, firstly through the provision of funds to FAO, secondly, in many cases, by allowing their employees to devote some of their time to EIFAC, and, thirdly, by making the very considerable contribution of hosting the biennial Sessions and the meetings of Working Parties.

None of these situations is entirely satisfactory. It is quite difficult to make a case within FAO for the sort of increased funding for EIFAC that would allow it to recruit a full-time team of experts. It is equally difficult for the individuals, faced by ever-increasing workloads, to devote to EIFAC the time that its activities deserve. We have discussed these problems in the past - and will continue to do so. Fisheries managers and scientists are well aware of the value of the work of EIFAC, particularly in its achievements in tackling subjects of mutual interest and in the preparation of seminal publications. But we face a serious psychological problem in that the value of such achievements cannot be quantified in the terms which are readily comprehensible to those who take decisions on priorities in the distribution of funds.

Our examination of this problem at the last Session has led to the realization that, apart from report material, EIFAC had never made available any publication to inform the authorities or the fishing public of its existence, to say nothing of its contribution to fisheries management. Since then we have developed a web page and produced a leaflet, both of which summarize the activities of EIFAC and, above all, indicate the expertise which it can make available to planners.

During the intersessional, papers presented at the Twentieth Session Symposium on Water for Sustainable Inland Fisheries and Aquaculture were published as a special issue of Fisheries Management and Ecology, edited by Rudolf Müller and Heiner Naeve.

Most of you are here to take part in the Symposium on Fisheries and Society which will begin later today. I would like to thank the Chairman of the Symposium Károly Pintér and the Convenor Matti Sipponen for their good work in making the arrangements and to thank all of those who are contributing papers or posters. At each EIFAC Session, the first part of the business is the symposium. It provides us all with a relatively rare opportunity to consider the subject on a continent-wide basis, rather than from a national or regional point of view.

The second part of the Session will begin next Monday and gives delegates the opportunity to review the work which has taken place in the last two years and to plan for the future.

My introduction to the Twentieth Session of EIFAC two years ago drew attention to a considerable number of listed topics on which no progress had been made. I believe that my address today is very much more positive. During the Twentieth Session we agreed to a considerable streamlining of our activities, including a more concentrated programme for this session. I am very happy to say this evening that progress has been made in all directions.

Thank you ladies and gentlemen, I look forward with you to a stimulating Symposium.